Just Enough: A Tribute to Miroku and Sango
by Soli-chan
Summary: [MirokuxSango] '...because regardless of one's faults, true love never asks for more or less. Everything is always just enough.' A one-shot written to honor the wonderful couple that is Miroku and Sango.


Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I would've allowed Kagura to die? That I wouldn't give Miroku and Sango their well-deserved, full-fledged, mushy romantical scene? That I would allow the dang series to end?

I didn't think so.

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**IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE! IF IT WASN'T, IT WOULDN'T BE HERE.**

Mou, okay, so I was sitting here thinking of what to do to avoid my homework today, so I decided to write a little one-shot. Unfortunately, it came out to be much longer than I expected. Fortunately, by extraordinary stroke of luck, it was even better than I expected too. This, my friends, is a tribute to Miroku and Sango, the most wonderful couple to have ever existed, even if they are fictional.

And so, I, Soli-chan, hereby dedicate this fic to quite a few people who I admire for their ability to leave me in awe of their work, time and again. (In alphabetical order) I dedicate this fic to:

Aamalie, Aurora-chan, Bao Blossom, Boomerang-chan, Corisu Li, FrameofMind, Jo-chan, Kaerra, LilacRose23, Lavinia1, Lily Among the Thorns-89, Mikaila, Mina Maxwell, Nana, Neoshipper, Nikkou-chan, Night Beauty, Personification of Fluff, Queen, Queenizzay, Sango-sama, ScarletRaven1001, Scribe of Figaro, Siren of Erised, Uozumi, WindSprite, Zephor, and Zero27.

I would also like to dedicate this to anyone I have forgotten due to my terrible memory and anyone who has ever enjoyed my stories, reviewer or not.

**But, above all else, I want to dedicate this fic to Kikanemi. She has encouraged me since before the day I decided to write a fic. She's a greater authoress than she thinks, and an even better friend for supporting me, even when my stuff was completely terrible. You're the best, Kikanemi. Don't ever let yourself or anyone else make you think otherwise.**

WARNING! GRAMMATICAL ERRORS AND SPELLING MISTAKES ABOUND! What's my stupid excuse this time? You can read it at the bottom.

Now, on with the story! ;;

Just Enough: A tribute to Miroku and Sango

_"It's just enough for me to fall in love with you  
And I wake up, time and time again  
With nothing here for proof  
I need you to be with me  
Dreams can only hold me for so long  
And I will wait my life  
I promise to do it right  
For just one moment to be alone with you…"  
__"Just Enough" The Early November_

He watched her as she slept. It had been a tiring day, for all of them, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. Not when she was like this.

It all started that morning. It was the morning that would decide the fate of the world. Inuyasha had woken them all at a most ungodly hour, though he wasn't without good reason. Apparently, Naraku felt that this time would be just as good as any to take their jewel shards and dispose of them once and for all. That was how it started.

Miroku wasn't quite sure how they knew, but soon enough, Sesshoumaru and Kouga came and joined the battle. It seemed to go on forever and just when it seemed like you could take a breath of air without being attacked, you were sorely mistaken. They had been trying to break down Naraku's barrier for a while, but it wouldn't quit. They were all battered and tired, but Naraku was perfectly fine, still sheltered from their attacks by that damned bubble of a barrier. Many had already fallen. Ginta, Hakkaku, Ayame, and others were struck down earlier, so a few others from the wolf tribe carried them off to a safer place while the battle raged on.

Miroku had been fighting off demons for a good while. How long had it been since the battle started? The sun, though hidden by dark storm clouds, told him that it was around noon. Was it possible that they had been fighting for well over four hours and still had made little or no progress?

Suddenly, something caught his attention. Sango had hit the ground. Running over to her, he completely forgot all of his wounds and the demons after him. All he wanted was to help Sango. The demons began closing in on her. Between the two of them, at least one would have to survive, and he'd be damned if it was him. Miroku ran faster, his blood boiling at the thought of such low demons killing Sango, let alone having dared to touch her at all. Would he get there in time? He couldn't be sure.

He reached her just in the nick of time. Kneeling not too far from her, he held up his Shakujou and put up a barrier around them. He had to make sure that Sango was alive and moderately well before he did some serious demon slaying.

"Sango!" he yelled, hoping she would hear him. "Sango!"

It was no good. She was out cold. He began to think up a new strategy. 'Damn. How can I get rid of these demons? There are Saimyoushou all over the place, I can't use my Kazaana. Even if I did, I'd either die from the poison or be killed by Sango for risking my life like that.' Looking back at her motionless body, he'd decided his course of action.

"KAZAANA!"

When he was finished, he pulled the beads back over his hand and turned to her. The pain of the Saimyoushou's poison was excruciating, but all he could care about was Sango's wellbeing. He crawled a bit closer to her, only to find that maybe he'd taken in too many of the Saimyoushou. Miroku suddenly felt dizzy. He couldn't focus very well, but he figured that as long as he was able to stay awake and at least sense what was going on around him, he'd be fine for the most part. Slowly, he moved Sango so that she was leaning on him as he stood to move her somewhere safe. It wasn't the best idea considering that he could barely walk on his own, but he had to get her to safety. To his luck, some of the wolf demons helped him carry her to where their other injured allies had been moved. As he laid Sango down, he noticed someone he hadn't seen before. Was that…Kikyou? What was she doing? She was… taking care of the wounded. Kikyou _wasn't_ as cruel and heartless as they had all thought.

"Ki...Kikyou-sama." He stammered, squinting in the hopes of being able to see her better.

She turned to him. "Yes?" she replied, her inquiring tone a hint for him to continue.

"Please… please help her."

Kikyou nodded. As she quickly checked Sango over, she spoke to him. "You've been poisoned," she noted. "Do you not need help as well?"

"Sango's health is more important to me than my own," Miroku answered, lying down to rest a bit.

"Just the same, you should drink this," Kikyou said. She held out a small bottle to him, "It is not the best thing in the world, but it should help ease the pain and fight that poison."

He slowly reached out and took the bottle from her hand, giving her a small "thank you" before he drank it.

Minutes later, he heard Kikyou speak again. "She will be fine. She has quite a few injuries, but it is highly unlikely that they are fatal. I will bandage her wounds--"

"--Kikyou-sama," he interrupted. "Please, go help Inuyasha and the others still in battle. Anyone with the proper knowledge can take care of Sango's wounds, but Inuyasha…"

At first, she didn't answer, as if she was thinking whether or not she should. Then she said, "I will go where I am most needed. Should I feel the need to help them, I will, but at this moment, the wounded come first."

Miroku sighed and nodded. He couldn't make her go there, and that was that. He closed his eyes and rested a bit. The antidote she gave him was definitely helpful. With his vision blurred, he never did see Kikyou tell one of the wolf demons to help Sango, or that she had walked off in the direction of where the battle had been taking place.

Moments later, Miroku felt much better. He felt like he had been bashed over the head with Hiraikotsu one too many times, but that poison was definitely wearing off. Able to actually _see_ now, he stumbled back towards the battlefield, hoping that they still had a chance to win.

As he staggered across the grim land, he heard Inuyasha in the distance, a sign that he was getting close.

"Damn it, Naraku, just fucking die already!" Miroku heard Inuyasha scream. Obviously, they were still engaged in battle.

"Ah! Inuyasha, I only have one more arrow!" Kagome yelled.

"Damn. There's not much we can do anymore," Inuyasha muttered. Staggering to his feet, he struggled a bit to get a better grip on Tetsusaiga.

"Ku ku ku… Giving up already, Inuyasha? I had hoped you would be more entertaining, and at least have fought until you were too tired to wield that pathetic sword of yours," Naraku jeered. Miroku hid himself behind a tree and watched the scene unfold before him.

"Keh! Like I'd give up a chance to kill your sorry ass!"

"Isn't that what you're doing now? It certainly is a shame that you'll still lose, Inuyasha, but you were never quite strong enough to defeat--"

Naraku was cut off by an arrow that had cleanly pierced and destroyed his barrier.

"Kikyou!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise. Naraku turned to her and quickly swiped at Kikyou's chest, succeeding in injuring her.

Kikyou flinched, wounded by the tentacle that shot out at her and the shouki that was seeping into her body, but she was well enough to nock another arrow. "All of you! Now!" was all she had said as she took aim.

Inuyasha nodded. "Keh. You arrogant bastard. I'm gonna make you regret the day you started all this shit... KONGOUSOUHAAA!"

Kagome and Kikyou each fired an arrow, and Sesshoumaru followed suit with an attack from Toukijin.

When the dust had settled, all that was left was Naraku's portion of the Shikon no Tama and ashes in the form of a spider. Kagome smiled weakly. It was over. She walked slowly and picked up the Shikon no Tama, surprised at its sudden glow of purity. Pulling out her Shikon shards, she fitted them into the remaining crevices. The Shikon no Tama was finally completed.

Miroku, not able to believe his eyes, pulled the prayer beads off of his right hand. All he saw was skin. The pure untouched skin of the palm he had never been able to see. He was free.

"It… it's really over!" Kagome smiled. Inuyasha smiled back for a moment, and turned to Kikyou. She was hunched over, a hand to her chest as she held onto her bow and used it for support.

"Kikyou…Are you…"

She looked up. "I no longer have a purpose in this world. My soul is leaving this body."

"But Kikyou… Weren't you here for Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"That was my purpose, but as I spent more time in this world, I believe that my soul has finally forgiven Inuyasha. I think what had held it to this world after that was the fact that Naraku was still alive. I believe that now… my soul can be at rest." With that, Kikyou's body collapsed.

"Kikyou!" Inuyasha screamed in anguish. He hadn't wanted it to end this way. He may not have loved her as he had before, but he still cared deeply for the girl, regardless of whether or not she was of flesh and blood or ashes and mud.

"I-Inuyasha…" Kagome was at a loss for words. To think that Kikyou had died that way… and the way she had had such bitter feelings for Kikyou… She felt terrible. Tears welling in her eyes, she clung to Inuyasha's haori and cried. It was all that Inuyasha could do to hold her. No one ever saw the tear rolling down his cheek as he rested his head on Kagome's.

Miroku watched the scene unfold before him. 'So this was how it was meant to be,' he thought. A small smile graced his features, growing into a grin when he saw Sesshoumaru helping Kagura up. What a pair they were.

Seconds later, Miroku remembered what he had to do. Running as best he could, he made his way back to where Sango and the others were. The poison hadn't been completely neutralized yet, but he was well enough to be able to get to Sango faster, and that was all that mattered.

Just when he thought that he would never find the clearing where everyone had been, he bumped into Kouga.

"Kouga?"

Kouga smiled weakly as he held his bandaged head. "Heh, yeah. Naraku got me pretty bad. The other wolves saw me and brought me here right away. Saw you stumbling the opposite way, but I was conscious enough to tell them to leave you alone. I figured you might've had some sort of important business or something."

Miroku gave him a weary smile. "You wouldn't happen to know where Sango is, would you?"

Thinking for a moment, Kouga pointed a thumb behind him and said "Back there. They bandaged her up and all a while ago. She's still unconscious though. It must've been a pretty bad hit."

"It was. Even worse since she hadn't gotten enough time to heal from the demon that we battled the other day. Thanks Kouga," Miroku said, giving Kouga a none-too-gentle pat on the back, to which Kouga responded with a yelp. "Sorry!" Miroku yelled over his shoulder as he jogged and looked for Sango among the many bodies on the ground being tended to.

Finally, he saw her, not too far from where Ayame had been lying down. When he reached her, he knelt down and tried to wake her up.

"Sango?" He whispered, gripping her shoulders as he shook her slightly. "Sango, wake up." She groaned slightly in irritation. He smiled a bit. "Sango… Sango, wake up!"

Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Miroku's face. Blinking once, his face was still there, but he was smiling. Sango blinked again, and when realization came to her, she quickly sat up, her head slamming into Miroku's in the process. Both winced in pain.

"Itaiii…" she groaned, lying back down.

"Sango, I hardly think it is wise to knock yourself out of consciousness the minute you barely regained it," Miroku joked.

"Did… Did we win?" was all she asked.

He held up his right hand and smiled. She sighed in relief.

Sitting back up, she looked around and asked, "Where… Where is Kohaku?"

Miroku bit his lip. He had seen Kohaku once the battle ended, but he didn't think that Sango would want to hear what he knew. "Sango… Kohaku, he…" Miroku sighed. "Kohaku is gone. He left. Once he saw that Naraku had died, he took off into the forest. I… I didn't see where he went. I'm sorry."

"He didn't die?"

"Not when I saw him."

"But that's impossible… He was supposed to have died when Naraku took his Shikon shard earlier… I don't understand…"

"Neither do I, but I do know that he isn't here with us, though it seems that he is very much alive. I don't know what to make out of the situation either."

Sango stood up slowly. "I… I need to go. Kirara!" The demon cat transformed into her larger form and was at Sango's side in a moment. Sango climbed onto Kirara's back and they both headed off, back to her old village, he assumed. Inuyasha and Kagome came up behind Miroku.

"How is she?" Kagome asked. Miroku told her what had happened. "Poor Sango-chan. I hope she'll be alright."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh. She'll be fine. If the bouzu gropes her later on and she doesn't smack him, _then_ you can say that there's something wrong with Sango."

Kagome hit Inuyasha on the head. "Inuyasha! That's completely rude!"

"Ow, Bitch! Would you cut that out!?"

"Well maybe if you'd stop being such an insensitive jerk! Osuwari."

Inuyasha growled into the dirt. As he tried to stand, Kagome turned away and said it again, "Osuwari."

Miroku chuckled. They'd never change.

-----

After they had helped everyone else who had been hurt, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku headed back to Kaede's village.

"Konbanwa, Kaede-obaa-san. Shippou-chan," Kagome smiled. Her exhaustion was evident from the sound of her voice.

"Kagome!" Shippou exclaimed, jumping into her arms. "Sango's in the other room. She's been here for a while now. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't stop crying! I talked to Kirara and she said that they went to Sango's village and saw Kohaku, but he ran away as soon as he saw Sango. She thinks he hates her! She cried so much and I guess she was really tired 'cause a few minutes after I tried to talk to her, she just cried herself to sleep. Will Sango be okay, Kagome?" Shippou whispered not-so-discreetly in her ear.

Kagome patted him on the head. "I think that, with enough time to heal, Sango will be just fine. You just have to try not to remind her about Kohaku too much, okay?"

"Okay!"

Miroku was standing by the doorway when he heard all this. He was relieved to know that Sango was fine, but he was still worried sick. Where was Kohaku? Why wasn't he here, with her, after all she'd gone through?

Inuyasha's ears twitched. Someone was here. He crossed his arms and walked to the doorway, casually leaning against the side. He stared into the horizon, doing the best he could to remain discreet about sniffing out who the intruder was. He turned back and walked past Miroku, muttering the words "Kohaku's hiding in the bushes" to him quietly as he passed.

A shocked look appeared on Miroku's face. He called Kirara to him and told her to stop Kohaku just in case he wasn't able to catch him. She mewed in response. Walking outside, he slowly made his way to the shrubbery that was Kohaku's hiding place. When he came within five feet of it, Kohaku began running.

"Kohaku! Kohaku, wait!" Miroku yelled as he ran. Kohaku really was just as quick on his feet as he had expected. Suddenly, Kirara appeared in her larger form and picked up Kohaku by the fabric of his exterminating outfit.

Kohaku struggled to break free. "Kirara, no! Let me go!"

She growled a "no" and he frowned.

"Kohaku, why aren't you with Sango? Don't you know what you're doing to her by avoiding her like this?"

Kohaku sighed in defeat. "I… I know I hurt Ane-ue. But that's why I don't want her to see me! If she sees me, she'll remember all those terrible things I've done and I don't want her to be in any more pain. I hurt her in so many ways and--"

"And you think that by pushing her away, she'll be better off?" Miroku finished. Kohaku nodded, pausing in his struggle to break free of Kirara's grasp again. Miroku sat down, telling Kirara she could let him go as soon as Kohaku promised to talk to Miroku and not run away. Kohaku stayed true to his word and sat next to Miroku. "Kohaku, I understand that you want to keep Sango away so that you can't cause her pain, but that only makes it worse. All my life, I've pushed people away. It never got me anywhere. In fact, if I hadn't become friends with Inuyasha and Kagome like I did, I would've died a long time ago."

"What about Ane-ue? Did you push her away too?"

Miroku smiled. "Ah. You see, your sister is very special."

"Of course she is. She's Ane-ue!" Kohaku interjected, obviously proud of his sister.

Miroku chuckled a bit before continuing. "Yes, she is. And I hate to admit it, but I probably pushed your sister away more than anyone else."

"Why? Don't you like her?"

Miroku was more than surprised by what Kohaku said. "Of course I do, but… it's more complicated than that…"

"You love her, don't you? That's why you pushed her away, isn't it?"

Miroku nodded. "You see, I thought that maybe if I pushed her away, she wouldn't fall in love with me. That way, if I died, she wouldn't miss me very much. So that's what I did. I kept pushing until I thought she was so far away that she'd never find me when I was sitting right next to her, but she just kept coming back. I think that's part of the reason why I love your sister. No matter how hard I tried, she always came back, and I loved her more and more each time, because then I knew that she really did care about me."

"I understand now. Thank you…er…"

"Miroku. Now, come on. Let's head back to Kaede's and see everyone else," Miroku said as he helped Kohaku to his feet.

Kohaku nodded as they walked back to Kaede's hut.

"…Miroku?"

"Yes, Kohaku?"

"You're a good person. If you want to marry Ane-ue, I give you my blessing. But if you hurt her, you'll have to answer to me," Kohaku said with a smile, though his voice showing no signs of joking. Miroku stopped dead in his tracks, laughing nervously. He knew what Kohaku was capable of. When Kohaku noticed Miroku wasn't next to him anymore, he stopped and turned to face Miroku.

Walking up to him, Miroku shook Kohaku's hand. "Very well then," he said. Desperate to change the subject, Miroku smirked a bit. "Race you there." Kohaku smirked similarly in response.

Moments later, they were both seen running through the village toward Kaede's home.

-----

That was what had happened. She was still sleeping, her cheeks stained by the tears she hadn't wiped away.

He had been watching her for a while now, hoping that she would wake up, but she didn't. So, despite his better judgement, he moved to wake her.

He gripped her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Sango, wake up."

She frowned a bit in her sleep and swatted his hand away.

"Sango…" He shook her a bit more.

"What?" she whined.

"Wake up. I need to talk to you."

"Why?" she yawned, taking her time in sitting upright.

"Because it needs to be done," he stated plainly.

"Okay. So what do you want to talk about?"

"Us. Naraku is dead, and I want to know where that leaves us."

"I thought I was going to bear your children. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It is. But what do _you_ want, Sango? It was different before. What do you want now that you won't have to live in fear of anything like Naraku? Do you still want to be with me?"

"I… I don't…"

Miroku looked down so that Sango couldn't see his face. He bit his lip before continuing. "I see." He stood to leave and turned away from her, his head still down. "I hope you will be happy, Sango. Perhaps you will be able to find someone who cares for you as I do, who you will care for in return." He sighed and was about to walk out of the room when she stood up and spoke again.

"Houshi-sama! You didn't let me finish, I… I _do_ want to be with you. But how am I to know that you won't leave me?"

Miroku turned to her and took her hands in his. "You need to trust me, to have faith that I would never leave you, because it's true. I love you, Sango. That will never change. You may not feel the same, but--"

"Don't be stupid! I… I love you too, Miroku." He stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Then… will you marry me, Sango? I have nothing but myself to give you, but…"

"That's more than I could ever ask for. Yes, Miroku, I will marry you," she smiled, looking up into his eyes. Their gazes locked, and their lips met in a first and long-awaited kiss.

As they broke apart, Miroku smiled, remembering that he had something else to talk to Sango about. "There's one more thing, Sango…"

"Hm?" she replied, a puzzled look on her face. Then she heard him.

"A…Ane-ue?"

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It seems that Miroku and Sango never needed riches, power, or even a bit of normalcy to live a happy life. They would live happily ever after, because regardless of one's faults, true love never asks for more or less.

Everything is always just enough.

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So! Was it completely lame? Did the sucking just kinda snowball until it hit rock bottom? Was it actually okay? I don't know.

That, my friends, is for you to decide and tell me in a review so I can either work to improve, or completely give up because there's not a glimmer of hope for me at all. It's your choice. Also, if you'd like to get a response to your review, please let me know and leave an e-mail address so that I can do just that, okay?

And if Kikyou was completely out of character, my mistake. I was in a 'Kikyou is awesome!' mood and I couldn't help it if I tried. So sue me. No, I'm just kidding, please don't. I'm poorer than you know.

And let me just say that I did NOT get this beta-ed by Aamalie or anyone else because they weren't supposed to see it! If you'd like to point out any and all mistakes, please do so that I may be able to fix it instead of looking like an idiot for the rest of my life.

**(Begs) Please review! (Puppy eyes)**

Ja ne!


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